Dario Franchitti has played a big role in helping Ed Jones blossom into an IndyCar star.

LEEDS, Ala. – More than 6,000 miles separated Dario Franchitti from the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, yet his impact on the race was undeniable.

In Rome to commentate for a Formula E event, the retired IndyCar superstar stayed up long into the Italian night analyzing data and video being transmitted to him by Chip Ganassi Racing from the other side of the world.

Though he couldn’t standby Ed Jones’ side ahead of the prestigious race, the four-time IndyCar season champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner made sure that if his newest pupil had any questions, he’d be prepared with answers. Jones, of course, would make his mentor proud by picking up his first podium as a member of CGR. The third-place finish, Jones said, was in no small part thanks to Franchitti, whom he has come to rely on heavily in his first few months with the historic team.

“He wasn’t at Long Beach, but I was still talking to him after each (practice) session,” Jones told IndyStar. “Honestly, I probably nag him quite a bit, because I’ve been trying to get everything I can out of him.”

It’s not nagging, Franchitti said. It’s his job. As a driver coach with the team, his role is to help turn the talented IndyCar sophomore into a championship contender and to make sure that whenever Scott Dixon is ready to hang up the helmet, Jones is ready to lead CGR into a successful future.

Lofty expectations? Sure. But Franchitti has little doubts Jones is capable. It all starts with Jones’ eagerness to learn. He doesn’t question the things Franchitti tells him to do. He simply listens to what his teacher says, and he executes. That’s actually how their relationship started.

“I just told him a man called Mike Hull’s going to call you later this morning,” Franchitti remembers. “And I suggest you say yes to every question he asks you.”

“Really, he didn’t need me to tell him that,” Franchitti said with a laugh. “When a team like Chip Ganassi Racing calls, you do the deal if you can. It’s a massive chance, and I love the fact that he knew it was a massive chance, and he grabbed it with both hands.”

Since that phone call, their relationship has blossomed. Franchitti has become Jones’ go-to for advice on how to tackle certain circuits and how to best provide feedback to team engineers. Though he’s been teammates with a pair of four-time champions – Scott Dixon at CGR and Sebastien Bourdais and Dale Coyne Racing — Jones said he’s never worked with anyone quite like Franchitti.

“At the end of day, Seb and Scott helped me a lot, of course,” Jones said. “But they’re also competing and have a lot on their minds over the weekend, too. It’d be wrong to expect them to help me that much, because they’ve got their own job to do. But having Dario there … has just been so helpful.”

Despite Jones’ quiet nature – Dixon said if Jones was any more laid back, “I think he’d fall over” – he hasn’t been shy about taking advantage of the team’s considerable resources. Among the advantages of joining up with a team like CGR is a surplus of experience to draw from and information to devour.

He craves both, Franchitti said. Jones texts, calls or emails any time he has a question. “A keen pupil,” Franchitti calls him. But what Franchitti loves most about working with the young driver from Dubai is the first thing he does each and every time he climbs out of the car is contemplate how he could have been better on the track. It’s not what’s wrong with the car or the strategy or anything else. It’s self-reflection.

That is the mark of a driver who wants to go from good to great, Franchitti said.

So far in his career, Jones has been very good. The former DCR pilot flashed his immense potential at the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 where he finished third as a rookie. As the season progressed, he fostered a reputation as a smart, methodical driver who would keep his car out of the wall and take what the race gave him. He finished the year with five top-10s and 14th in the championship. It was a good start, but this year, Jones said, it’s time to make the leap up the standings. A big leap.

Franchitti says he can.

“The kid works, really, really hard at this,” he said. “He knows what it’s going to take to win multiple races and championships and 500s. He’s got to work hard. He’s got the talent, and I really think he’s got the mental attitude for it, too. And what’s great is that even though he’s a young guy he understands this is his chance.”